Derby timing troubles Muscat

MELBOURNE Victory coach Kevin Muscat (pictured) is not ready to focus on the first A-League derby in the FFA Cup but he has some advice for the organisers.

Within half an hour of winning through to the final four with a 2-0 win over Bentleigh Greens on Tuesday night, the draw for the next round threw up an FFA Cup first.

Victory will play Melbourne City in a blockbuster semi-final next month in a draw that has delighted tournament organisers as well as both sets of fans.

But Muscat does not share the enthusiasm. “I’m probably not as excited as everyone else,” he said. “There’s a couple of games at least before that game. We’ll worry about (the cup game) when it comes around.” Victory play Brisbane Roar on October 7.

The timing of the cup tie poses a challenge. The two match days set aside for the semi-finals are October 18-19 and 25-26.

Should FFA schedule the Cup derby on the first mid-week option, it would come a few days after the two teams meet on Oc- tober 15 at Etihad Stadium in the A-League.

But the second option also has problems. City would need to play just two or three days before their Round 4 Friday night home match against Adelaide.

Victory doesn’t have the same congestion, hosting Wellington the following Monday.

It would be a no-brainer to play the match on the later date, Muscar said. “When they decide to play that game will have a huge factor on audience and attendance,” he said.

“The first semi-final is immediately after the second game, so it’d be nice to have space from the derby . . . to build it up for what it should be — a massive night in Victoria.”